Culture And Relationships Essay

The subject of the session is “Culture and Relationships,” also known as “Guanxi” in Chinese. There are three levels of study in the session: Chinese philosophy, Chinese culture, and Guanxi. The Chinese philosophy is composed of five pillars: Confucianism, legalism, Daoism, Buddhism, and communism. Confucianism is a moral system that has been guiding behavior of people since the Han dynasty. It has five constant virtues: humanity (ren)-the obligation of humaneness and altruism towards other people; righteousness (yi)-process of upholding morality and the ethical character to do the right deeds; propriety (li)-the system of ceremonial customs and decorum that decides how people should perform and behave in daily lives; wisdom (zhi)-the capability to distinguish what is fair and right in the face of the world; faithfulness (xin)-it involves loyalty and integrity. In the current world, harmony can only be achieved by every stakeholder recognizing their place in the world, which plays a significant role in legitimizing the strong hierarchical order in the society. Paternalistic management style might also be the result of Confucianism influence. Legalism existed 220 years BC. Legalism is the process of believing in law and order and states that everyone has to obey it without any exception. People are amoral and are guide by pure self-interest and thus have to be corrected by the law and punished when in the wrong. Legalism is the guiding force behind Qin Shihuangdi but it has been abandoned by the Han dynasty. Daoism is the natural flow of things in the world. Unlike Confucianism, it does not entail rules but instead describes the path that people should follow. Buddhism is the religion that is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Buddhism was combined with Confucianism and Daoism to form “neoconficianism”. The five most important precepts of Buddhism are: abstaining from killing, stealing, abuse of drugs, lying, and misusing sex.
Communism is the social economic system which is structured based on the ordinary possession of the means of manufacturing and also characterized by the nonexistence of inequality, class, and state. In most communist states, resources are at people’s disposal. They simply take what they need and work for pleasure and satisfaction instead of working for a living. The second section learned in the session is the Chinese culture. Many Chinese concepts are never attributed to any particular school or thought or person. They are, however, important like the Guanxi, the use of trust and holistic thinking. The final section addressed in the session is the Guanxi, also referred as relationships. The government of China plays a significant role in controlling the economy of the country. This implies that cultivating a good relationship with the government is a critical measure in the realization of success. There are differing attitudes to law in China than in the Western countries. In the Confucian society, the rules of conduct are the ethics and standard behaviors. The Chinese society is organized on the relationship principles which comprise: human feelings, harmony, and relationships. The final lesson learned is the meaning of Guanxi. This is the interpersonal relationship and substitute of special treatment established for the sole function of doing business operations. Guanxiwang is the network of interpersonal relationships and exchange of favors. There are three basic features of the Guanxi. They comprise: durability, hardness, and network centrality. The Guanxi is also used as a mechanism for dealing with the risks. This means that the bigger the risk, the stronger the Guanxi. It also helps build strong institutions.